When Syfy announced that The Expanse is the most ambitious series in the cable and satellite channel’s history, they really weren’t kidding around.

The epic space drama (and we don’t use those words lightly) premiers mid December in all its glory, although the first episode will be available ahead of time on VOD on Monday Nov. 23, and is totally worth checking out.

Based on the best selling book series of the same name (more on that in a minute), The Expanse follows the fortunes of a disparate collection of individuals on a journey across the solar system some 200 years in Earth’s future.

So what’s the future like? Well, the icecaps have finally melted, and we’ve got an inflated population of 30 billion people. Dubbed an empire in decline, we’ve established a colony on Mars, which is probably a good thing. The Martians are a rather uppity bunch though, who see themselves as tough pioneers, unlike us soft Earthlings. They’re also heavily militarized, focused and disciplined, and if we’re not careful, they could wipe us out completely.

We also pushed ahead into the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter in search of live-giving raw materials like water in the form of ice. There, on crime-choked cities like Ceres and Eros you’ll find the downtrodden Belters, hard working and largely manual laborers to whom water and air are more precious than gold.

Tossed into the mix is a tense and escalating political situation born of a deeply unsatisfied working class, and the mystery of a missing young woman (Florence Faivre) from the upper echelons of society. How are these events connected? The missing persons case will lead a hardened detective (Thomas Jane) and a rogue ship’s captain (Steven Strait) across the solar system that will uncover the greatest conspiracy in human history, according to the log lines.

And if you’re feeling a little tingly after reading all that, stay with that feeling for a little while. After all, it’s not often that new TV shows deliver exactly what they promise, especially those dubbed “epic space adventures.” We’ve binged watched the first 4 episodes in advance and we’re confident that you’re not likely to be disappointed by the story, the scope, the characters or the visuals. In fact, for true scifi fans, there’s a lot here to love.

So what exactly is so cool about this series, and why is it worth checking out?

It’s Got a Great Pedigree

The Expanse is based on the critically acclaimed New York Times best-selling series of science fiction novels by James S. A. Corey, the pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Their first novel in the Expanse series, Leviathan Wakes, was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2012. The book series is ongoing, with 4 more novels and a series of novellas in the pipeline.

Abraham and Franck are also undertaking producing duties on the series, all of which makes The Expanse the scifi equivalent of Game of Thrones in terms of scope and ambition.